White Valentine
by Mantichorus
Summary: A short Valentine's Day story featuring Vincent and Lucrecia... Hope you enjoy. :


_A/N: well, hi guys. Here's just a quick Valentine's Day fic I've written. It was originally done for a fanclub on The Lifestream forums for Valentine's Day last year. However, I've edited it since then, and given it a title (in case anyone wonders: it's in homage to "White Christmas")._

_Nibelheim's weather conditions are based on the local weather conditions (that is, Devon, England) during the winter of 2008/09._

_Hope you guys enjoy. :) Kudos to anyone who figures out who Vincent's Secret Santa is._

_DISCLAIMER: all characters belong to Square-Enix._

* * *

Vincent stood in the snow, breath steaming in the air. He found it somewhat amusing, although you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at his face. Nibelheim had remained snow free throughout the holidays, much to Lucrecia's chagrin. Now, it was February, and everywhere you looked, every surface was _white_.

Vincent dearly wished that the Turks' uniform allowed for some less formal and more practical footwear in such conditions. No-one could remember when it had last snowed in Midgar, so maybe snow-wear hadn't been given sufficient consideration while they were writing the regulations. However, there were some specific instructions about what could and could _not_ be worn in cold weather conditions.

The sanguine scarf that had been his secret Santa gift (something implemented and organised by Professor Gast) sat around his neck in stark contrast to the dark navy of his standard issue suit. The scarf was his only concession to the cold weather, due to regulations -- a thick coat would hinder his ability to draw his firearm, as would gloves, while earmuffs would affect his hearing. The presence of earmuffs was especially dangerous, as it could lead to missing something critical -- the tell-tale click of a rifle being primed, a twig snapping underfoot --

Suddenly, a snowball impacted with the side of his face. A whoop swiftly followed.

"Think fast, Vincent!" Lucrecia crowed, another snowball already being formed in her gloved hands. Vincent was impressed at her speed. He dived under the next snowball, rolling forwards across the snow, and coming up with a handful of snow. Lucrecia shrieked in a mixture of surprise and delight as the snowball hit her torso.

# # # # #

Sometime later, the two of them were sat on a blanket Lucrecia had spread over a snow bank before commencing hostilities. Both of them were short of breath due to the snowball fight.

"You're…not bad, Doctor Crescent," Vincent said, breathlessly.

Lucrecia laughed. "I had two brothers -- one older, one younger. Truly survival of the fittest. And how many times must I tell you? It's Lucrecia."

"But, Doc--" Vincent began.

Lucrecia laid a finger on the tip of his nose, silencing him. She didn't notice him blush under the wind flush on his cheeks. "Loo. Crease. Shuh. I'm sure you can say it," she said, before smiling mischievously. "_If_ you try."

"…Yes Lucrecia," he replied, glad he hadn't stammered.

"There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked, still smiling.

"Ah, there you are. AHOY, DOCTOR CRESCENT!" someone hollered. "We require your assistance for the next experiment!"

Lucrecia rolled her eyes. "But I wanted to play in the snow…" she muttered under her breath. "Coming, PROfessor!" she yelled back, as she stood up.

Vincent rolled up the blanket and followed her back towards the Mansion. Professor Hojo was stamping his feet in the snow, trying to keep warm. He was still wearing his lab clothes.

"Ah, there you are, Doctor Crescent. Professor Gast has been asking for you," Hojo said. "You had best hurry on ahead."

"Yes, Professor," Lucrecia said and went past Hojo into the Mansion. Pausing in the doorway, she tittered slightly. "Honestly Professor, you're as bad as Vincent. Neither of you dress warmly enough for this weather." Then she left.

Hojo looked Vincent up and down for a moment, and smiled slightly. "That scarf really does suit you, Mr Valentine," he said, satisfied.

Vincent blinked in surprise. "Yes, I think so, too. Thank you."

Hojo chuckled to himself. "Oh, you're most welcome. And I'm glad you concur."

As Hojo entered the Mansion, Vincent glanced at his scarf bewilderedly.

# # # # #

Vincent returned to consciousness abruptly, sound asleep one minute, irrevocably awake the next. It took a few seconds for his mind to place his surroundings. The reverberating purr of Nanaki's snoring in the next room helped immensely.

Vincent ran a hand across his face. Staying at Cosmo Canyon had been a bad idea. Far too close to Nibelheim. And the closer he was to Nibelheim, the more vivid and frequent the dreams.

It was cold this morning. Vincent looked out the window at the purple sky, as night began to dissolve into dawn. He blinked once, twice, and climbed out of bed and walked to the window. He slowly opened it, not quite believing his eyes.

It was snowing. Vincent glanced at the calendar. A rare smile appeared on his lips, half-ironic and incredulous. Of course, it would have to be. The day after the day he had just relived in his dream. He looked out of the window.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lucrecia," he said quietly, still smiling to himself.


End file.
